South East Local Enterprise Partnership

Role: Deputy Chair of Strategic Board
More info: www.southeastlep.com

As Deputy Chair, Sarah acts as an ambassador and champion for SELEP projects and programmes. Alongside SELEP Chair Christian Brodie, she helps to develop and maintain relationships with SELEP’s business partners, neighbouring LEPs and other stakeholders, including Government ministers, local MPs, local authority leaders and key players in the Further Education and Higher Education fields.

About SELEP

The South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) is one of 38 LEPs, established to provide the clear vision and strategic leadership to drive sustainable private sector-led growth and job creation in their area. LEPS were set up by the government to be the key body determining strategic economic priorities while making investments and delivering activities to drive growth and create jobs.

The Strategic Board

The Strategic Board is made up of 25 members selected by their local private/public sector partnerships or their representative bodies and at least 50% of the members are required to be from the private sector. It is responsible for:

  1. Setting the vision, strategic direction and priorities of the LEP overall
  2. Ensuring the development and maintenance of the Strategic Economic Plan and for determining its key funding priorities
  3. Ensuring that that adequate capacity and expertise is maintained to deliver against 2.
  4. Considering and agreeing a position on major items of strategic importance
  5. Publishing arrangements for developing, prioritising, appraising and approving projects with a view to ensuring that a wide range of delivery partners can be involved
  6. Development and approval of a Skills Strategy for the area
  7. Approval of European Structural Investment Funds (ESIF) strategy
  8. Deciding how the activities of the LEP should be delegated
  9. Championing the LEP and the LEP area in all other forums
  10. Supporting pan-LEP activity undertaken by the working groups
  11. Working closely with federal boards to oversee Growth Hub, Enterprise Zone and City Deal activities
  12. Endorsing local areas’ efforts to advance projects for economic growth which may not be directly linked to the LEP.